Fernando Mendoza has heard this voice before. The Las Vegas Raiders rookie quarterback says new head coach Klint Kubiak is picking apart his footwork and depth the same way Curt Cignetti did at Indiana — and Mendoza believes that’s exactly what he needs.
Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, spent his lone season at Indiana under Cignetti before the Hoosiers ran the table to a national championship. He walked away with the 2025 Heisman Trophy. Now, a few months into learning Kubiak’s offense in Las Vegas, he’s noticing the same nitpicking that once frustrated him in Bloomington.
Appearing on “The Rush with Maxx Crosby” podcast, hosted by his own teammate, Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby, Mendoza broke down what that looked like in practice.
“I think the example of, you know, in practice you’ll have a good play,” Mendoza said, per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “For example, you make a big completion, and you’re looking forward to seeing it on film, and then both of those guys would be like, ‘Come on, really? You took an extra hitch,’ or ‘Come on, instead of five yards you were at four and a half.'”
He didn’t love hearing it at first. Mendoza admitted he’d sit there thinking he’d just thrown a perfect ball, only for his coach to zero in on a half-yard of depth or an unnecessary hitch step. Then the results showed up on Saturdays.
“Then you see, especially with Cignetti, having spent a whole season with him, like when he’s riding me on all these things in fall camp, I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’ and then the season you see it show up. And it’s like OK, that pass was completed by this much because I was at the right depth or because I didn’t take the extra hitch.”
Killing the ego is the shared message
Small margins are the difference between a quarterback who sticks in the league and one who doesn’t. Arm talent gets a prospect drafted. Detail work is what keeps him on the field. Mendoza says both coaches hammer the same larger point regardless of the play call or scoreboard.
“You see the same similarities with coach Kubiak pushing and really making sure you’re doing everything, rather than giving you a pat on the back, finding something to improve, because I have a lot to improve on,” Mendoza said.
He extended the comparison further, according to the same NFL.com report, framing it as a shared philosophy about status meaning nothing once the pads come on.
“And how I see that as a quarterback is killing the ego. Making sure that no matter what success I had at Indiana or what future success or whatever expectation, there’s no ego there. The only motivation is getting better.”
Where Mendoza stands in the Raiders’ quarterback room
None of this means Mendoza is walking into a starting job. Las Vegas signed veteran Kirk Cousins in free agency, and ESPN’s Ryan McFadden has reported that Cousins is expected to open the season as the starter. Kubiak has also said he wants Cousins, Mendoza and Aidan O’Connell all getting first-team reps once training camp opens this month, with the job going to whoever earns it.
The staff’s plan appears to be patience by design, not indecision. Cousins spent three seasons with Kubiak in Minnesota, throwing for over 12,000 yards and 94 touchdowns in that stretch, giving the Raiders a proven bridge option while Mendoza adjusts to a pro offense that leans far more on under-center and play-action work than what he ran at Indiana.
| Player | 2026 Role | Relevant Background |
|---|---|---|
| Kirk Cousins | Presumptive Week 1 starter | 4x Pro Bowler; 3 seasons under Kubiak in Minnesota |
| Fernando Mendoza | Rookie developing behind Cousins | No. 1 overall pick; 2025 Heisman winner; national champion at Indiana |
| Aidan O’Connell | Third quarterback in room | Returning Raiders veteran |
Training camp will be the real test of how fast Mendoza closes the gap. If the detail-obsessed coaching that turned him into a Heisman winner at Indiana translates the same way in Las Vegas, the Raiders may not have to wait long to find out what they have at the position — even if the plan right now is for him to watch and learn first.
